Are bikers victims of bad driving, or just plain dangerous?

Accidents and fatalities involving Plymouth motorcyclists have seen a rapid increase over recent years. Police figures show the city as a biker fatality hotspot compared to other cities its size. The Herald's Deputy Head of News Helen Pearse found out what it is like first hand to be a biker on Plymouth roads.

ROAD users are often divided into two camps: those who see bikers as innocent victims of others’ poor driving skills, and those who think bikers put themselves in danger by the way they ride.

I decided to find out what it is like to be a biker in our city and get some tips by spending a couple of hours on two wheels with Lee Grant from one of the city’s leading motorcycle coaching organisations.

As a car driver I try to be as aware as possible of bikes on the road. But I wonder how many others do the same, or indeed, how aware they are of their own driving skills?

Motorcycling is a passion for many and is hugely enjoyable but it doesn’t come without risks.

When you’re on two wheels instead of four, without a metal cage around you, you’re suddenly more vulnerable. You have to have your wits about you 10 times more than when you’re just sat behind the wheel of a car.

Riding around the streets of Plymouth this became ever more apparent as Bike Coach Lee gave a running commentary through our linked radios.

According to Lee you have to second-guess what car drivers are about to do and make sure you’re ready for it. This proved to be true on Gdynia Way and the Embankment, with cars changing lanes without indicating, and potentially not seeing a biker. By holding back and keeping an eye on any hesitant drivers, we could guess which ones were about to make their move in front of us – and we were right.

It was the same at onslips on to the A38, drivers tend to pull out assuming the oncoming traffic will move over. Ok, this isn’t always possible for cars or bikes, but it would be the biker that is less likely to be seen and in more danger. Interestingly, doing 70mph from Marsh Mills to Deep Lane, 99 per cent of cars were overtaking us. Now I’m not going to pretend us car drivers never speed, but it’s ironic how it’s the bikers who have the bad reputation, and we were being left behind.

Road positioning is one of the most vital factors to consider in bike riding, says Lee. Keeping your distance from the car in front of you, especially in slow moving traffic in case you are bumped from behind, positioning yourself on the road so you have the furthest view ahead and around corners, is also important. At junctions, be prepared for other road users to pull out in front of you, so move as far as possible away to give yourself more time to manoeuvre.

Bikers by definition are harder to see on the roads. So they have to be extra vigilant. When riding in busy streets, they need to keep their eyes out for pedestrians stepping into the road, people talking on their phones or texting and not concentrating, and other road users. Of course car drivers do all this too, but they have the advantage of a big hulk of metal surrounding them making them more obvious. Bikers are less visible, so it’s down to them to be more careful.

You have to expect the unexpected I suppose. This became clear when we were on the A379 at Ermington. A car in front of us was trying to turn from Ermington towards Modbury, on a tricky junction. He clearly couldn’t manage it, and ended up doing a three point turn over both lanes of the road. We had held back to give him the room, but a car or bike coming from either of the other directions doing the 60mph speed limit, wouldn’t have stood a chance.

One of the other things I noticed whilst out on the bike, is how much road surface can affect bikers. The tyre contact with the road for a bike is no bigger than the width of an iPhone, so road surface and wet roads can have a huge impact. We all know Plymouth roads are ladened with potholes and broken tarmac, but we also came across diesel spillages in the city centre, and mud and hay on the country lanes, all of which a car driver wouldn’t bat an eyelid at, but could make a biker lose control.

An issue I know often upsets car drivers is when bikers ride between rows of waiting vehicles – usually on the approach to traffic lights or roundabouts. Lee explained that this “filtering” in most situations is perfectly legal.

However, bikers need to keep an eye on their speed when filtering as cars can change lanes, people can cross between the rows of cars thinking it’s safe and there’s always the danger of a vehicle being let out of a junction across the rows of traffic that the bike can’t see.

Everyone seems to have their own opinion on bikers, and many automatically assume that when a biker is in an accident, it’s always their fault.

Obviously there are many bikers on the roads who ride recklessly, take risks, and may well end up in accidents. But the vast majority are not like that. Bikers aren’t all riding powerful sports bikes and breaking speed limits like they’re on racetracks. Many use their motorcycle purely as a functional tool, to commute to work, to get from A to B. But these riders end up in accidents too.

Lee said: “Certainly there are times when some bikers put themselves at huge risk by the way they ride and the chances they take. Car drivers do too. But the consequences of a biker getting it wrong are tragic. However, the bikers being killed and seriously injured are not always tearaway sportsbike riders – the Monday to Friday worker commuting, riding his bike well and within the law is also a victim in road accidents. This would suggest that it’s not always the biker taking risks and the actions of other road users has to be taken into account”.

If Lee had a message for car drivers and bikers what would it be?

“There has to be more tolerance and awareness on both sides. Car drivers and other road users must recognise a bike’s vulnerability and actively look out for bikes and especially at junctions. The consequences of a loss of concentration could be a fatality on the road”.

But Lee has a sobering message for bikers too. “It’s no good saying that it was someone else’s fault and they were in the wrong. Hospital food tastes the same no matter whose fault the accident was. If you’re not sure about the quality of your riding then get some training to refresh your skills.

“Bikes will always come off worse in an accident so the approach must be to avoid the accident in the first place. Enjoy your bike but ride with your wits about you and expect the worst from other road users – being prepared for something bad to happen will give you vital seconds to take some action which could save your life”.

Comments

Quote: ------- "The article is a wonderfully written, unbiased piece of journalism. Must have been a freelancer, eh?
But one thing the article didn't mention was the biker's senses. Two of most important senses required for riding/driving on the road are sight and sound. Now look at the bikers' helmets. The bikers are blinkered, visored and hearing-impaired.
The very senses they need the most are severely restricted. Crazy, isn't it?
I look forward to reading about Helen's experience on the road with a 18 yr old boy racer or midlife-crisis rider. That way we get to hear about her views on an average, everyday rider.
Then perhaps another report about the average overweight, wobbly, lycra-clad cyclist? :-)"------
Sorry but you couldn't be more wrong. As a car driver and a motorcyclist, I can say that my senses are definitely less restricted when riding my motorcycle. There are no pillars in the way, no fogged up windows, no distractions (i.e - radio, mobile phone, food/drink, passengers etc). Not only this but my motorcycle is far superior to my car in terms of acceleration, braking power, and maneuverability. I actually feel less likely to be involved in an accident on my motorcycle, than when I'm driving my car. Although the consequences would obviously be more severe with a motorcycle accident.
And in regards to your last sentence, at least the overweight lycra-clad cyclist is actually doing something about it, and not being a lazy slob, driving a car everywhere.

@Dale_Anderson
I would not waste my time reading your "report" as it is patently obvious you are not qualified to make one. You are just a fly in the ointment when it comes to road safety; you need to leave it to experienced professionals. I understand that you do not even have a full bike licence.
As to attending one of your monthly meetings, no thanks, because MAG always have them in pubs. It a well known fact that bikes and beer are a lethal combination, you need to get real.

i noticed in vancouver the bikers do not tend to overtake in lines of traffic when there are vehicles coming towards them. YOur not really supposed to cross the white line on raods when vehicles are coming in your direction whether you ride on two wheels or four wheels. some bikers get to close to oncoming traffic and others have the sense to wait untill its safe.

Are bikers victims of bad driving, or just plain dangerous?
Just plain dangerous. For such a small percentage of the travelling public they seem to put themselves at a significantly high risk.
If drivers had the same attitude to driving as most bikers appear have to riding there would be totally anarchy on the roads.
Luckily drivers are safer.

we had a friend in his sixties who had a harley davison he went everywhere on his bike and was a very good rider he passed away a few years ago but nothing to do with an accident on his bike just wanted to say there are good riders out there and still miss you sid lewis of stoke

You're all missing the point IMHO. There will always be idiots; there's not much we can do to prevent that. Drive to your ability (your REAL ability not the Schumacher / Rossi image you have of yourself) and expect everyone else to be an idiot. Just because they might be in the wrong doesn't mean you have to drive into them / cut them up / punch their windscreen etc. We don't need recriminations about rules and judgements or right and wrong; we need to look out for each other!

I ride a large bike and also ride defensivly. Most modern helmets allow for good visabilty and hearing is not an issue. Bikers do have their moments, I agree. Its probably down to the fact that the rider enjoys the freedom povided from riding a bike to a car. Bikers have the ability to overake, filter and normally get to their destination quickly, unhindered by the confines of a car or being in the same queue with other cars.
The problems arise when when other road users (mainly of he four wheel orientation), get impatient, bored, loose concentration, firing of the odd text message or call... etc. Only one of these I can see applies to a bike rider.
'Impatience' caused by, well lets see, heres 6 to start with:-
1. The school run
2. Not driving a the correct speed for the road (speeding not included)
3. Tailgating a motorcyclist (very dangerous)
4. Indicators (opptional on most cars I hear)
5. Not being able to use a roundabout correctly
6. Not knowing in advance where they are going
The School Run
A headache to most motorists, a nightmare to motorcyclists. Thousands of mums (and dads) trying to get little Jack or Jill to school and we all know what that is like, bless them.
Driving at the correct speed
20 means max 20, not 10 or 15
30 means max 30, not 15 or 25
60 means max 60, not 30 or 40 etc, etc, etc
If you cant drive it, then park it and get a bus!
Tailgating a Motorcycle
It takes a car some time to stop what ever speed your doing. A bike can almost stop on a sixpence, please keep your distance from the bike.
Roundabouts
Plymouth is full of roundabouts and there are alot of drivers that just dont understand the concept. This is where alot of bikers get knocked off, because a driver has not bothered to look right, or does not know how to conduct themselves on the rouadbout (No overtaking or changing lanes).
Not knowing your route
If you live in Plymouth, why do you fel the need to use a SATNAV. Plan your route early enough on any trip and you will know the pitfalls.
As a rider, I have experienced every single one of the points above, from drivers of cars to lorries, from buses and other bikers. Wouldnt it be ineresting if everyone who wanted to drive a vehicle, had to complete a 2 year period on a bike first?
Observation would go up, Speed and distance judgement would go up and maybe the accident level would come down.
You can control what you do on the roads. Its us that turn the trottle or push the accelerator down, remain aware, use mobile phones whilst driving (applies to four wheels).
There are riders out there that either let the side down on occasions, cant ride the machines they are on or who are just complete moroons. However cars outnumber bikes by probably 4-5 to 1. So do the math, its not hard.
A good objective article, that maybe upsets a few of the four wheel drivers that may fit the points above. There is nothing worse that having you bad points highlighted. Drive carefully people and remember, Whats the point of killing yourselve going to work and that bikers need a litle more space.
A big thankyou to all the drivers who let me through when I filter, you will always get the humb from me when im past.
John

I am a life long biker, aged 50.
Quote;
"According to Lee you have to second-guess what car drivers are about to do and make sure you're ready for it."
Car drivers have to do this as well Lee, its called hazard awareness.
To suggest that a bike is not dangerous is ludicrous, all and any type of vehicular transport is dangerous, how dangerous depends on which specific type.
Car drivers DO NOT go around intentionally trying to kill and maim us bikers its just that we ARE LESS VISIBLE. We choose to ride so we have to accept the probable consequences.
If you ride like a moron and bring the whole biking fraternity into disrepute your just increasing the risk and will probably end up as a 'mobile organ donor' as surgeons sometimes refer to us (don't deny it doc) :-)
I personally would like to see a more balanced approach to this entire problem, lets see just as many 'BIKERS, THINK CAR' signs as we see 'CAR DRIVERS, THINK BIKE' signs.
Thats my rant over :-) zoom zoom, its sunny so I am off for a ride...

Youngsters on mopeds and small cc motorbikes are lethal ! Try driving around the roads of Plymouth College of Further Education ( City College ) in Devonport. These youngsters have no regard for cars, pedestrians or indeed traffic lights. Their driving is absolutely reckless, very dangerous and quite scary. Surprised there haven't been more accidents around there.

Youngsters on mopeds and small cc motorbikes are lethal ! Try driving around the roads of Plymouth College of Further Education ( City College ) in Devonport. These youngsters have no regard for cars, pedestrians or indeed traffic lights. Their driving is absolutely reckless, very dangerous and quite scary. Surprised there haven't been more accidents around there.